Senior Chinese military official calls for enhanced strategic mutual trust between China, US

SINGAPORE -- China and the United States should enhance strategic mutual trust and make greater contribution to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific and beyond, a senior Chinese military official said on Saturday.

Lt. Gen. He Lei, vice president of the Academy of Military Science of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, made the remarks at a press briefing on the sidelines of the ongoing Shangri-La Dialogue.

China highly values and cherishes the relations with the United States, He said, stressing that as two major countries in the world, relations between China and the United States have an impact on the security and stability not only between themselves, but also in the Asia-Pacific and beyond.

The senior Chinese military official said the friendly and fruitful talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump in April at the Mar-a-Lago resort in the U.S. state of Florida have laid the foundation and charted the course for development of relations between the two countries.

Noting that the relations between the militaries of China and the United States are an important part of the ties between the two countries, he called on the two sides to stick to the principles of non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation; strengthen strategic mutual trust and enhance risk control.

At the press briefing, the senior Chinese military official also touched upon the issue of freedom of navigation.

"I think the freedom of navigation can't equate to close-in surveillance," He said, stressing that freedom of navigation has never been a problem in the South China Sea.

He noted that neither the Australian prime minister nor the French and Australian defense ministers mentioned any problem concerning freedom of navigation in their respective speeches during the ongoing dialogue.

China firmly opposes close-in surveillance conducted by military aircraft and vessels in waters and above the airspace close to Chinese islands, the general said, noting that such military activities do not fall into the category of freedom of navigation.

He is in Singapore to attend the three-day 16th Shangri-La Dialogue which started on Friday.